The Child of Light and Shadow

Mad Scientist

The day after receiving the talismans from Luck, I finally wake up feeling well-rested. Damn. I'd forgotten what a good night's sleep could do to you. I'm not sure if I've been feeling worse because of all the stress, or if it's just the side effect of overusing my magic. I'm not particularly fond of the lack of knowledge absolutely everyone has on magic. The Apostles can preach being the best of the best, but even they don't seem entirely sure about everything. Someone knocks on my door, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Are you decent, Jonah? I feel you are up." It's Raksha, the earliest bird of them all. Was he just standing there, waiting for me to wake up? Honestly, I hope both yes and no are the answers to that. It'd be great if he cared enough not to wake me up, but it would also be ridiculous for him to be so guarded.

"Come in," I tell him, getting up from my bed. I slept with my clothes on, since I'm not sure if I'll ever have to make an escape in the middle of the night.

Raksha pushes the door open, and I realize immediately he isn't in a good mood. "These talismans are ridiculous. We don't need such nonsense to become stronger; We only need to train."

Ah, so that's what he wanted to talk about. Kind of disappointing. "Well, they're the best we can do in a short amount of time. Don't take it off yet."

"Is that an order?"

Ouch. That tone definitely had some bitterness behind it. "You know it's not."

He flexes his shoulders a bit, as if he was just waiting for the chance to get into an argument. I know what that mood is like, and I also know I'm not about to have a lot of fun. "I don't know what to know about you. One minute, you're ordering me like I'm your slave, and the next you treat me like a friend. I do not understand whether or not you have a heart, Jonah, so no, I do not know whether or not that is an order."

I sigh, then do something I should have done long ago. Reaching under my bed, I pull my satchel towards me, then open it and take the urn out. Raksha's eyes widen at the sight of it, and I toss it to him. "Here. Now you know."

He eyes it a bit, then knocks on it a few times, as if to make sure it's the real deal. "I do not know what to say."

"You don't have to thank me."

"Of course not. You are the one who trapped me in there in the first place."

I sit back down on my bed, still facing him. This can either go really well or really poorly. "So, what'll you do now?" We both know what the question is about; Is he going to go back to the forest, or is he going to stay and help me through this?

Raksha starts pacing around the room. "I do not know. I am conflicted."

"You told me you miss your home."

"I miss it with all my heart, but I've also seen many different things since leaving it. The Djinn Village is not filled with many wonders like the rest of the world. If I go back there, I probably will not be able to leave again. The seal holding my brethren there will keep me from leaving once more, and I would hate for my new experiences to stop coming." He stops walking and looks at me, looking more vulnerable than he would normally be comfortable with. "I do not know what to do."

"Then stay," I tell him, not caring that I'm being selfish. I need him here, both for personal reasons and because of what an asset he is. "Stay for a while longer. If you want to go home at a later point, then I won't stop you. But stay for now."

Instead of thinking about it, he walks up to me, then sits down beside me, glaring at the urn. "I should be angry with you." Please don't be.

"You're right."